Oral inflation valve



March 28, 1950 anw. Ama-:WER 2952p3 ORAL INFLATION VALVE Filed Slpt. 20, 1945 grime/wm STERLING WALDERFEQ @www "y f Patented Mar. 2s, 195o ORAL LINFLATION VALVE SterlingA We `Alderfer, Akron; Ohio, assis'hl` t0vv AndrewsAlderfea,ProcessingY Company.v Incorporated; Akrnm Ohio; aacorporation. ofi Ohio.

Application-September 20,-. 194.5,"-S'erial l\I'oi.;1617,502A

2.(llaims. 1I

The presentdnyehtion relates tuxthamanufacture f, low pressure valves fsuoh; asmay be fused for the oral ination of life belts, lifeyests; floats andthe likewherelthedeyices are inflated by the wearer. invention is to providea-veryf-simple and easily operated valve which -is constructed and ,designed so that the user will instinctively, openpthe valve when it is pressed against the mouth for inflation,

and which willinstantlyclose'when the valve isy removed from the mouth.: The valve isofurth'er designed so that itwillretanethe air effectively veven Aat the.I low pressures `which; are obtained by mereoralinlatiom A further;- obiect oit-he, in-

vention ,isto designayalve which. will permit: the ff free and unobstructed4 110Wv oiair through the valve when it is open so as to obtain the rapid inilation of the article to kwhich it is attached.

The principal advantages fof' the construction shown and described are simplicity, and ease of operation, and effectiveness of the valve to retain air at low pressure. It will be understood that the invention is disclosed in its best known and preferred form, but that changes or modifications may be made therein without departing from the principles of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the inflation device asr it may be attached to any type of inatable device, such as a life belt, life vest or iloat;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the valve; and

Fig. 3 is a section through the valve.

The new and improved valve is indicated in general by the numeral I in Fig. 1. It is usually attached to a piece of flexible hose or tubing 2, which communicates with the interior of an inatable object or bladder indicated at 3. This may be any form of inflatable device, and is ordinarily one which may be worn on the person.

The present form of oral inflation valve is superior to prior valves of this general type in that the act of pressing the valve against the mouth will open the valve for the admission of air from the lungs and immediately the pressure is released, the valve will close, effectively shutting off escape of air from the interior of the article. The result is that the person who is suddenly plunged into the water does not have to fumble with the valve to open or close it. This is extremely valuable in emergencies. The device is so constructed that when removed from the mouth, it will automatically retain the air within the article, but it is also capable of adjustment so that the seal is One of the principal objects of the..Y

rendered:moreieiectiveand thefvalve can not .be Onenedaccdentally.

Therlexible hose 2 is permanentlysecured to one endof a-hollow` valve stemwhioh is preferably;A a short; piece: off. tubing; @usually of metal. Theqend; of, the`r tubing is rounded ast shown at A9 so as *.to avoid strain` on the vlhose `at Athis point. Midway of-thef tubinggis a, shoulder.l 5 against whchthe `endet thehose 2, mayabut. Outwardly ofv the shouldeitheexterior ofgthestemisprovided with a screw-threadedportion.6. Engagingthe party 6' is.- a'screw-threaded:thimble or handferip; lathe duter endeofwhich` is formed with an` inturuedshoulderv 8 y which; limits; tbeginwardffmovement.ofthe erin on .the .tubing-Ae. The cuter-surface of zthegr-ip; orihandpiece r1 '.isusuallylroushened..

At .some .point the; interior of` the.; tubing. 4 is Provided .with vaacircular valve-:seat I0 through which slides an inator tube or valve II provided with a head I2 adapted to rest against the inner face of the valve seat where it may carry an air tight sealing gasket I4. At a short distance outwardly of the head the tube I I is apertured as l at I5 so that when the valve is depressed for iniiation, these openings permit air to ow freely from the interior of the tube II to the object to be inflated. The position of the head during inflation is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

` Surrounding and iixed to the outer portion of the tube I I is a sheath I6 the inner end of which is spaced from the valve seat I0 to accommodate a coil spring I8 which serves to hold the valve head I2 against the seat I0. The sheath is attached to the tube by deforming the stock after assembly as shown. This may be done by crimping the sheath into tube I l at three or more points as illustrated at I3 in Fig. 3. The tension on the spring I8 should be relatively light so that the valve may be opened easily, but should be suicient to insure a reasonably tight seal at the yalve.

Midway of the sheath I6 is a shoulder 20 and at the end of the sheath is a second shoulder 2|. A mouthpiece 22, usually formed of rubber, is tted over the end of the sheath.

When the article is to be inflated, the Valve is held by the hand piece or collar I and the monthpiece pressed against the lips. The pressure exerted is suilicient to depress the valve to the dotted line position whereupon the user may inate the bladder or Iother article. In this movement the tube II is guided by the valve seat I and the sliding movement of the sheath I6 in the outer end of the Valve stem 4. Upon removal of the mouthpiece from the lips the valve will automatically close and the air will be retained suiciently so as to keep the article afloat in the water. If for any reason, the Valve should jam when in open position beyond the restoring power of the spring, it can be closed by pulling outwardly on the mouthpiece. In order to insure that the valve is not opened accidentally yand to force the valve with greater pressure against its seat, the user turns the handgrip or thimble up to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 3, and the article is more eiectively and permanently sealed.

It will be seen that a very simple and effective oral valve has been designed which is easy to operate and can not get out of order. porary seal afforded by the expansion of the spring i8 is suicient to hold the air in all usual cases, but the seal may be made more secure and positive by turning the thimble up on the sheath beneath the shoulder 20.

The tube Il, the area of the holes l5 and the space around the head l2 are so proportioned that a free iiow of air is permitted through the valve.

' For example, a unit which will t into a 1/4 I. D.

rubber tubing, without excessive stretching, will deliver 50 liters of air per minute at 70 F. with a hydrostatic pressure of 91/2 of water. These details which permit a free and easy flow of air through the valve are of extreme importance in the manufacture of an oral inllation device for attachment to life saving equipment.

What is claimed is:

1. An ination device adapted for oral ination comprising a hollow stem for attachment to an inflatable article, a sliding tubular valve telescopically mounted in the stem and having a, head closing the inner end of the valve and engaging a valve seat in the stem, the valve being apertured adjacent the head, a mouthpiece on the outer end of the valve, a hand grip on the stem, a spring The temsurrounding the valve and tending to hold the head against the valve seat and the mouthpiece spaced from the hand grip, and a shoulder on the valve, said hand-grip being adjustable along the stem toward the shoulder to prevent movement of the mouthpiece and opening of the valve.

2. An inflation device adapted for oral ination comprising a hollow stem for attachment to an inflatable article, a sliding tubular valve telescopically mounted in the stem and having a head closing the inner end of the valve and engaging a valve seat in the stem, the valve being apertured adjacent the head, a sheath surrounding the tubular valve held thereon by distortion of the metal of the valve and sheath, a mouthpiece on the outer end of the valve, a hand-grip on the stem, and a spring surrounding the valve and tending to hold the head against the valve seat and the mouthpiece spaced from the hand-grip. said hand-grip having screw-threaded engagement with the stem and adjustable thereon to abut the mouthpiece and thus prevent movement of the valve.

STERLING W. ALDERFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 'ijle of this patent:

4 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

